Both of us are long time Blackberry/LG users that favor real Qwerty keyboards. I recently switched to a used Droid Pro and activated it on PagePlus with a monthly plan (retiring soon and won't need much phone). Wife's Verizon contract ends in early September and wishes to move to a newer phone with good texting capabilities. I think a Droid 2 is the answer for her with the slider keyboard. EBay has some "still new" and also used ones. We are thinking of opting for the new one @ $140.00 or so. So, my questions are as follows:

1. Anything I should do with a "new" phone before activation on PagePlus?

2. If I were to burn a newer (different) ROM, what will that gain over the one that comes on the phone?

Not to sure about the first two questions. But in regards to number 3 definitely make sure the Droid 2 you get has the flat keyboard and not the bubbled. It's much nicer to type with. My first Droid 2 had the bubbled and it was night and day when my replacement had the flat one.

Not to sure about the first two questions. But in regards to number 3 definitely make sure the Droid 2 you get has the flat keyboard and not the bubbled. It's much nicer to type with. My first Droid 2 had the bubbled and it was night and day when my replacement had the flat one.

2. well the main advantage, of flashing a custom rom, is to get rid of bloatware
Bloatware is the extras motorola/verizon has put in software, that slows the phone down, and is just annoying

3 the ebay basics, watch for a few days or so to see, how much they are selling, use the watch option, or bid once
read the sellers history, neg reviews, how long been active, have they sold anything or just a buyer
don't get caught up in the bidding, I wait till last minute, bidding early just raises the price faster
read the shipping price

used droid 2 ask if the esn is good, although may not matter with page plus, esn is a number used to activate on verizon
if the phone was reported stolen, or owner has a bad account, verizon puts the esn number on a black list
ask for esn number and check here Check Your Device

I would also see if screen is unscratched, if a you can't tell from pics, ask for better pic

2. well the main advantage, of flashing a custom rom, is to get rid of bloatware
Bloatware is the extras motorola/verizon has put in software, that slows the phone down, and is just annoying

3 the ebay basics, watch for a few days or so to see, how much they are selling, use the watch option, or bid once
read the sellers history, neg reviews, how long been active, have they sold anything or just a buyer
don't get caught up in the bidding, I wait till last minute, bidding early just raises the price faster
read the shipping price

used droid 2 ask if the esn is good, although may not matter with page plus, esn is a number used to activate on verizon
if the phone was reported stolen, or owner has a bad account, verizon puts the esn number on a black list
ask for esn number and check here Check Your Device

I would also see if screen is unscratched, if a you can't tell from pics, ask for better pic

Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice. Is it possible to flash the ROM after activation with a service and stay activated? I may want to do that with my Droid Pro. And thanks for the eBay bidding tips. I see I can also check Completed Sales on eBay to see what these phones have been selling for.

Not to sure about the first two questions. But in regards to number 3 definitely make sure the Droid 2 you get has the flat keyboard and not the bubbled. It's much nicer to type with. My first Droid 2 had the bubbled and it was night and day when my replacement had the flat one.

Click to expand...

I couldn't disagree more. My main reason for not getting a Droid-4 at this time is because the keys aren't bubbled. But it probably depends on your typing style. I much prefer to not have to look at the keys while typing, so I need the bubbles for more tactile feedback.

I do question the choice of a D-2 over D-4. Unless you are outside of a 4G area, or have extensive free wifi, I think the Droid-4 is possibly the better choice.

The good keyboards are slightly rounded. Which is probably what you guys have. There are some out there where the keyboard is completely bubbled. The raised portion is about double the size. It's not bad just not as nice as the others.

I couldn't disagree more. My main reason for not getting a Droid-4 at this time is because the keys aren't bubbled. But it probably depends on your typing style. I much prefer to not have to look at the keys while typing, so I need the bubbles for more tactile feedback.

I do question the choice of a D-2 over D-4. Unless you are outside of a 4G area, or have extensive free wifi, I think the Droid-4 is possibly the better choice.

Click to expand...

If you don't use a lot of bandwidth then the D2 is a much better package. Actually I'd choose the D3 if my only concern were hardware built and I were keeping everything stock as it has the best keyboard out of the three. The D2 and D3 both also have extended batteries which makes for much longer use than the D4 with its non-removeable power source. The D2 and D3 also fit the hands much better. Lastly, as he mentioned custom Roms the the D2 is still miles ahead of the D4 in that department.

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